Shenhe

Shenhe was originally from a branch family of exorcists, but due to a series of coincidences, she became the disciple of an adeptus. She is a student solely of Cloud Retainer in name, but her impressive constitution and intelligence quickly won several other adepti over. She would go on to learn from them all, eventually becoming a master of adeptal arts in her own right as a mortal. She very much looks the part as well in her unique temperament and manner of carrying herself — indeed, it would be no understatement to name her a true adeptus upon meeting her for the first time. However, it is precisely due to the long years of tutelage that she has lacked company save for the adepti and odd passing illuminated beast. This isolation has caused her to grow distant and indifferent.

Sometimes, a few rumors will escape from Liyue's small community of pilgrims to make the rounds in the city's back streets. These tales often depict someone being in a hopeless situation in some desperate place, when suddenly— A wandering white-haired adeptus comes to their rescue in the nick of time... Most such stories are a collection of lovely, intoxicating clichés, little different from the oft-told street-tales of fated marriages and the like. But if one were to ask that white-haired adeptus to tell the story, it would take a vastly different shape: "Some annoying creatures worm their way into the mountains from time to time. I simply get rid of them to prevent them from disturbing my master's meditations." "If some people did wind up getting caught in the crossfire and injured... Well, it was their decision to come here. There isn't much I can do about that."

Shenhe is in all likelihood the least accustomed to mortal life amongst those who take on an adeptal appearance. Having been sequestered in the mountains since a young age, she lacks experience and common sense, which makes it difficult for her to relate to people normally. To ordinary people, there are many solutions to any given problem. But to Shenhe, any solution that is not the simplest and most direct one may as well not exist. For example, she almost never considers "negotiation" as a solution to being at cross-purposes with others, mostly resorting to "threats" instead. After all, it is simple and efficacious. A good solution, no? She has also spent much time ruminating on problems that are truly esoteric. For example: Why do we need to pay for food? Is there any difference between intimidating civilians and intimidating bandits? She even truly believes that her master, Cloud Retainer, is a most brilliant and eloquent conversationalist. In a certain sense, she can be considered very pure. Much like a child, she relies on her chaotic yet straightforward intuition and logic to get her through life. Mountain Shaper once had this to say about her: "Little Shenhe is not only stronger than most — she also possesses a unique character." "She knows not the world, understands not common sense, distinguishes few cuisines, and acknowledges no hierarchies." "It may not be such an easy thing for Cloud Retainer to tutor her."

Liyue has no lack of folktales about meetings with the adepti, and many of these concern relative nobodies whom an adeptus took under their wing, thus elevating them greatly. However, the circumstances under which Shenhe's fate became tied to the adeptal abodes was no such glorious thing. If anything, it was an experience characterized by anguish. When she was five, her mother passed away, and her father, having loved his wife dearly, found that agony hard to bear. Over time, this agony turned into resentment, and this resentment birthed obsession, by which he was driven wandering throughout the land like a man gone mad. He left for close to a year, never stopping, never able to sleep soundly, ever searching for some technique that might bring his wife back. At last, when the year was almost out, he returned in joyous frenzy. Her father had brought with him a secret art known as "Fate Transference"— By making a ritual sacrifice to the seelie summoned by this art, a living person's body could be exchanged for a dead one's life. At that time, Shenhe was yet utterly unaware of the disaster that would befall. She was only an ordinary child, overjoyed at her long-absent father's return. He claimed that he had a surprise awaiting her in a cave in the mountains behind and that he would take her there immediately. She was ecstatic... But the scene that followed would be burned into her mind forever. Her father summoned that hideous, horrifying black "seelie" into that cave, its blood-red eyes craving her delectable life-force. Stupefied, Shenhe knew not from whence it had come, nor what it wanted from this place. Crises often paralyze people. One thought only, however, crept into the young Shenhe's mind. This creature wanted to eat her, but she did not want to die. She wanted to live! Gripping her mother's keepsake, an exorcism dagger, she faced that dark "seelie," trembling yet resolute... Several days later, an adeptus following the trail of great evil would investigate the cave, only to find the little girl collapsed inside — spent, famished, parched, her life hanging by a thread. Taking pity on the lass' ruinous fate, and seeing that she possessed great talent, having repelled some terrifying force on her own, the adeptus would bring her back, heal her, and instruct her in the adeptal path. If not for that, Shenhe would not be as she is today.

Even the most diffident heart, cooled from living and training in the mountains for over a decade, might sometimes experience strange surges. So it was with Shenhe. On impulse, she came down from the mountains one night to return to what was once her home. She did not know how she felt about her home or her family. She was merely driven by some nebulous desire: To live in the house that was once hers, and to see what became of her father, lost in his obsession. She learned from neighbors that he had passed away several years prior only when she got there. Her childhood home had also been demolished by pawnbrokers — and thus had all the traces of her memory dissipated. She did not care about the attention she was attracting, and did not answer a single one of the questions asked by those in the vicinity. She simply stood there, listening to the howls that swept through the depths of her heart. Was it hatred? Mania? Relief? They were all there, and yet none tarried for even an instant. It was as if her heart were an old well without ripples. No, like a barren well with no water upon which there might be ripples. She stood there for a long time, before departing again before the astonished eyes of all. Each step was slow indeed, but she never once turned back.

Liyue has its own fortune-telling, destiny-reading methods, similar to astrology. Of these, there are two fates that people seek to avoid at all costs. One is that of the "solitary star," which dictates that one will be separated from friends and family, living alone all one's days. The other is "disastrous evil," which means that one will face many hardships and perils. When the adepti rescued Shenhe, Moon Carver did once read her fortune. The signs showed that she was marked by both the "solitary star" and "disastrous evil," and that she was also plagued by intense homicidal urges — she was thus a person of supremely ominous destiny, doomed to harm both herself and others. To ensure that she could grow up safely and not harm any innocents, the adepti bound her soul using red ropes. This binding had the effect of restraining both her evil fate and her violent tendencies, but also shackled many emotions that should have originally belonged to a human. From then on, she became more and more disaffected by trivial matters, and even things most might consider important were but dust to her. She became ever less human, and ever more like a lovely yet cold statue. But surprisingly, she felt something stir within her when she encountered that Traveler from a distant land: Long-dormant emotions, now strangers to her, came loose all at once from the depths of fate's tableau. Perhaps it really was as Moon Carver once said: that heaven might dictate fates, but destiny's tale is written by mortals. The tale of Shenhe and the mortal world had not yet ended...

Once upon a time, Shenhe had a full head of black hair. When she was first brought to Mt. Hulao, she would not say a word. The only thing she proved willing to do was to climb the mountain and watch the sea of clouds. It was well, however, that she would sleep when tired, drink the dew of the mountains when thirsty, and would chew on a few stalks of Qingxin when hungry. Cloud Retainer took this all in, but did not disturb the girl, instead making this comb of white jade from a sacred stone and giving it to her. The adeptus said that if she ever wished to sever her ties with the mortal world and enter adeptal tutelage, she should brush her hair thrice with this comb, and it would be counted as a rite of apprenticeship. Shenhe did exactly as the adeptus said without any hesitation. And something strange happened then — for as the jade comb brushed through Shenhe's hair once, a layer of her black locks turned a frosty silver from root to tip. On the second brush, but half her hair remained dark. When the process was complete, only a flowing curtain of snow remained. ... Today, Shenhe still keeps this comb on her person as a symbol of her connection to the adepti. Through her years of training, she has long since come to understand the meaning behind those three brush strokes: The first to uproot useless anxiety, the second to forsake joy and sorrow, and the third to walk this path into old age without regret.

Few people know how the young girl in the cave, intended as a sacrifice by her own father, had been able to stand against the monster for days and nights on end by herself. Though Shenhe was born into an exorcist family, her maddened father had not taught her a single thing about exorcism. And like many at that innocent age, she was also wholly unused to facing life's perils alone. But in that aphotic cave, bereft of parental protection — indeed, betrayed by kin — Shenhe underwent a metamorphosis. Just as Moon Carver's readings had shown, the sleeping calamitous fates, violent urges, and unyielding spirit within her burst their bonds all at once. Those things served as an unseen shield and invisible blade, arming the girl's frail form. They gave her strength, gave her claws and fangs, allowing her to attack that wretched creature before her, to swear to tear it to shreds — to prove that she, and not it, was the cruelest evil that stalked the darkness. Their life-and-death battle across the next few days was one without end. Hunter and hunted switched places many times, the conflict locked in stalemate... As the shadow of death loomed large, the gods looked upon the extraordinary girl with favor. With the bright, crystalline object falling into Shenhe's hands, the balance tipped irrevocably in her favor and the victor was decided. The vivid icy light pierced through the dark like skyglow, showing the path to the future. In the past, it had guided Shenhe from her miserable fate. In the future, it would also lead her back to the mortal realm.

My name is Shenhe. I was born fated to bear the curse of calamity, so I am prone to bring harm to the people around me. The adepti urged me to bind my soul with red ropes to keep my homicidal nature at bay. If you are able to walk alongside me without fear... Hah, very well. Now, give me your hand.

The assumption that every person has somewhere to call home is naive. I got used to living in the mountains alongside the birds and beasts a long time ago.

Mind be purged, world be saved.

My polearm doesn't distinguish friend from foe, and there is clearly a limit to the red ropes' power. That's why I loathe crowded areas.

In the mortal world, at times like these, is it not customary to... use an umbrella?

The sky is clearing up, and so is my mood. I just hope no one shows up to bother me... If they do, I'll just make them disappear.

In this weather, I can freeze monsters in place and simply let the lightning bolts take care of the rest. A good way to not get my clothes dirty.

Yes... This reminds me of Master. She loves to ride the swift winds of Qingyun Peak.

Good morning. The dew is very sweet today, would you like some?

If you feel fatigued after lunch, you should try meditating. It's very effective.

Do you prefer the artificial light of the cities and towns, or the moonlight in the mountains?

Feel free to rest. I'm a light sleeper, if I hear anything in the vicinity, I'll investigate it for you.

For all the training I've had — honing my body and mind, learning the adepti arts — I've mostly been guided by my own instincts. It just comes down to self-preservation. I'm not trying to save the world, so if I wipe out some evil presence and it happens to benefit you, don't thank me. It's just a force of habit.

If I treat people kindly, they call me an adeptus, and if I put them in their place, they call me a witch. Heh... The one thing you'll never hear them call me is "human." They all seem to agree that I'm fundamentally... different from them.

I rarely leave the mountains, so I was never taught proper manners. When a conflict arises, I just take care of it the way that comes naturally to me. But if you don't approve of my methods, please do let me know. Even if I don't fully understand your reasoning, I will always defer to you.

My master gave me these red ropes in order to restrain my impulses. But during our journey together, I feel I have finally grasped the key to all of this. Somehow, controlling my strength — knowing when to restrain myself, and when to unleash — it comes more naturally to me now. I think that what saves me from myself is not my red ropes... but you. If you understand what that means to me, please stay by my side.

So this shiny gemstone is called a "Vision"? Heh... the gifts that fate brings, fate can just easily take away. If one day my connection to this Vision comes to an end, that'll be it, and the light inside of it will go out.

Driving evil spirits away comes easily to me. Getting rid of my inner demons, however... Unless you can find a way to let go, all the adepti arts and exorcism techniques in the world can't save you.

Why do I always hear people say, "The first snow of the season is a sight for sore eyes"? We have snow every single day in the mountains. So which instance counts as the "first snow"? I don't understand what they mean. Please explain this to me.

I have no use for the wealth that ordinary people desire. But in the hands of Lady Ningguang, wealth becomes a means of solving complex issues of the kind that no weapons could ever hope to resolve. She understands the unwritten rules of human society, she knows what's in people's hearts... Master once told me that even the adepti aren't able to achieve this. I hold her and her work in high regard.

I find I don't need to worry about etiquette with her, and unlike with some people, I don't need to rely on non-verbal cues to discern the true meaning of what she's saying. That makes me a lot more comfortable. The only problem is... Well, there are too many people around her all the time, and I heard there's also many crew members on her ship... I need you to go with me. It's the only way I can cope with so many people.

Yun Jin performs... It's called "Liyue opera," isn't it? I like this particular type of social interaction. You can get to know about the other person's background without having to actually interact with them one on one. If she ever includes your story in one of her performances, I'm sure the result will end up being quite incredible. I'm looking forward to it.

I've heard many stories about her from my master. She's really quite different from how I originally imagined her... But don't worry, I'll be keeping this to myself. Speaking of Ganyu, her work in Liyue Harbor is unbelievably busy... It seems that there is a price to pay for those who want to integrate into the mortal world.

It's hard for me to believe that... I still have living relatives in this world. If he has any difficulties with his training, I am more than willing to help enlighten him. However, he will need to meet me alone in the mountains. Their family is too... sociable. I wouldn't know how to turn down their invitations without being impolite.

I've seen him lean over to you and whisper things in your ear. If he dares threaten you, I will make sure he... Hmm? You mean it's just an in-joke between friends? Genuinely...?

That gentleman claims to be a mortal, yet is very familiar with my master, who is an adeptus. Master once said: "If you see him drinking on a stone stool in front of my abode, do not disturb him. Let him sit quietly for a while." And that's precisely what I did.

The quality of his medicinal herbs is as good as it gets, he is also easy-going and considerate of others. By comparison, the little snake on his neck has no filter at all... Haha, don't worry, I didn't lift a finger against it, I won't go as far as getting into a quarrel with a snake.

I often see her wandering in the woods singing strange songs. Actually, I must have heard all of her songs several times each by now. I'm used to her singing, but I still find it strange. That being said, I don't hate it either.

My first impression of him was that he's not one to smile. After meeting him again more recently, however, he's still as reserved as ever, but... he seems a lot more relaxed now. Maybe he... met someone special.

Please don't pay any heed to the way most people refer to me. I am not an adeptus, and don't possess any divine abilities. I was born in a branch family of a clan of exorcists, and grew up in the mountains far away from Liyue Harbor. I am but an adeptus' disciple, nothing more, nothing less.

When faced with delinquents who are just out to cause trouble, most people will try to reason with them. This course of action perplexes me. Removing the root of the problem and disposing of these ill-intentioned fools seems like the obvious course of action. Why do common folks prefer the labor-intensive route?

I am the apprentice of multiple adepti and have trained alongside them. After a certain point, however, they stopped teaching me new techniques and started focusing on how to control my intense homicidal urges. Oh, don't be nervous... Yes, craters have been left in the ground, and giant trees have been uprooted. But these things only ever happen in the mountains, far away from civilization, and certainly have never affected innocent lives. Besides, I can control myself now.

My father's intent was to trade my flesh and blood for my mother's life. After he abandoned me in that cave, I still held out hope that he'd come back to rescue me. One day went by. Then two days, three days... I used every ounce of energy in my body to fight off that monster. But as I collapsed on the ground, I finally realized that the day I was waiting for would never come. To this day, I don't know which one it is... Was I abandoned because I'm cursed, or is it the way I've been treated in life that has cursed me?

Once, I secretly left the mountain and returned to my childhood village without telling my master. But it was deserted, and my father had long since passed away. I suddenly realized that the bond between my relatives and I had been completely severed. And nothing that I'd ever cared about in the past could ever have a future. Ever since then, I have abandoned everything related to the mortal world... That is, until I met you.

The most important aspect of meditation is stillness. Let go of all agitation, and let the air around you flow into your body. This technique allows me to quickly focus in on myself. I heard from my master that after meditating beyond a certain point, there is no need to adopt the meditation posture anymore. Adepti can meditate even when standing up... I still have much more to improve on.

The fear of losing the people most important to me, and the desire to save them... This kind of feeling makes my heart ache, I've never experienced anything like it before. It's a burden, yes, but it's also... something to hold onto.

I've sampled numerous dishes during my time away from the mountains, but the truth is that I don't really remember how they taste. The only dish I can never forget the flavor of is that bowl of noodles I ate at home, so long ago... I shouldn't have to remember that. Why do I have to remember that?

Chew medicinal herbs for long enough, and you can only taste the bitterness... In all the years I trained under the adepti, I had to abstain from all kinds of things, and to a point, I got used to it. But them... "The common delights of the mortal realm pose no hindrance to the adepti, thus, we may indulge in all manner of dishes as we please"... These are the exact words my master said.

I've been told that birthdays are important occasions for most people. They give presents to celebrate the anniversary of the other person's birth. Material possessions aren't really my thing, but... The view of the starry night sky in the mountains is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. I've frozen this lake and turned it into a mirror, so you can appreciate the reflection of the fleeting clouds and distant stars right up close. This is my way of celebrating your birthday... Hope you like it.

The power I harness... It grows stronger.

If my master were to learn about this, she'd probably have me add some more red ropes...

I haven't been training as single-mindedly lately, and yet it's as if I'm growing stronger and stronger without making a conscious effort... I'm left to assume the only way for me to achieve this is by your side.

I once believed that freeing my mind from all agitation was the only way to overcome. But after everything I've experienced recently, I finally understand... Only when the right things weigh on your mind can the desire to protect awaken inside of you. And that turns your power into something... meaningful.

Obey!

Manifest!

Unleash!

Transfiguration!

My will embodied!

Take your true form!

By ordinance divine!

Cryo incarnate!

Do your master's bidding!

So this is what the world considers to be "treasure"?

Adepti treasures have special powers... Hmm, what about mortal ones?

These things... What are they used for?

You'll regret that...

I shall not yield...

I will wipe them out!

Don't push yourself.

Allow me to finish this.

No escape... from fate.

My time has come...

My curse to bear...

Feeble!

In your dreams!

You will regret this!

What exactly is teamwork?

Understood. I just have to stand here, right?

I will do as you command.

Mmm, this taste... Is it really meant for me?

The food you cook is indisputably delicious. I can't refuse it.

No matter. I'm used to this kind of flavor, after all.

The last time Master and Shuyu came to dine at Wanmin Restaurant, I noticed that Shuyu seemed to have adopted a number of Master's mannerisms. It gave me pause for thought... I grew up under Master's care, too. Is it possible that I have subconsciously picked up a thing or two from her as well...?